In computer simulation, an important aspect is to credibly replicate an actual environment where various conditions may be set and/or adjusted (e.g., atmospheric conditions, ground conditions, etc.). In order to remain credible, the rate of image generation in the computer simulation has to remain high enough to be seen as fluid from the user perspective. However, the computer generated images necessary for the computer simulation to be credible typically require a lot of material resources (e.g., processing power, memory and/storage space, etc.). Consequently, it is often necessary to let go of some level of environmental replication to remain within accessible material resources.
The present invention aims at improving the manner in which environmental elements are modeled taking into consideration usage of the material resources.